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Eating healthy requires acquired taste obedience for many reasons as a lifestyle. While most food addicts follow undiscriminating diets, eating healthy means making choices that we hope will keep bodies and minds healthy and well. A healthy lifestyle offers no assurances of longevity. Eating healthy results rely mostly on faith through obedience in optimizing your living life by choice.

In Corinthians 6:19-20: Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. Many forget that phrase, especially when it comes to eating healthy. A few remember that, as a body temple, how, what, and when you eat is bound to body and soul and even fewer practice eating healthy.

A recent recent study published in the Journal of the American Health Association Journal 3/7/2017, discusses observations of those eating healthier as a means of dieting. The article, Change in Percentages of Adults With Overweight or Obesity Trying to Lose Weight, 1988-2014 indicates that there is a percentage loss among these dieters when compared to studies in 1990. About 2 out of every 3 Americans are either overweight or obese, a decline of 7 percent means millions more people may have given up on dieting. The stumbling block is a motivational drop-off. Those who focus on eating healthy make a life-long commitment, for whatever the results.

Eating a healthy diet and what it means starts at younger ages. When integrated into a learning process when younger, eating healthy is normal. It is definitely a nurturing process.

Eating healthy requires acquired taste obedience as an alternate lifestyle. While there are many foods considered healthy, there are some with dietary restrictions due to illnesses. Among the lists of healthy foods, there are serving size considerations. Eating healthy requires focus and acquired taste as an alternate lifestyle sense of obedience. In most cases and situations, eating healthy in a world surrounded by snacks and sugary desserts, is a form of strict discipline. After all, eating healthy is not normal. There are so many attractive, delicious less healthy foods all over the place.

At the supermarket, the customer in front of me purchased 5 largebags of assorted chips, 2 boxes of crackers, 2 pounds M&M’s, potato salad, cole slaw, 10 liters of Coke and 2 packs of cookies. She also added about a dozen of those Ramen noodle soups in a cup. Thankfully, she added family packs chicken and steak. I noted to her that it looks like a great diet. She says, “That’s what my family wants. I make them happy.” While eating healthy requires discipline, eating unhealthy delivers quick gratifications of happiness. It’s a sharp contrast of rewards.

If you look at supermarket circulars, many listings promote normal lifestyles. Some support healthy lifestyles, where available. People choosing to eat healthy is a minority.

Eating healthy is akin to a religion. There are guides and scores of information. There are no spiritual leaders. The adage of “Seek and Ye Shall Find” requires lots of fervor. The rewards are fewer diseases, weight management, and going to heaven later than sooner. Most do not follow this faith. They’d rather die happy with lunches of 2 burger deluxe and 2 cans of coke. While eating healthy requires a tossed salad or sandwich on multi-grain bread, with spring water. Quite an alternative! Who is happier? Who is sicker?

How and what you eat influences your health and mental state. Eating unhealthfully may affect your body weight, blood pressure, your spine, your arteries, your heart, and brain. It may confuse hormones and the vital fluids that flow through them. There are no guarantees that your body won’t suffer by eating healthy, but eating healthy might skew the variables to your favor.

Statistics do seem to show that unhealthful eating and physical inactivity may result in disabilities as you age. An unhealthy diet may a leading cause of disability. Unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity are leading causes of loss of independence: Roughly 73,000 people have lower-limb amputations each year due to diabetic infections that may develop in obese people. Based on the Center for Science in the Public Interest over 600,000 deaths per year in the United States have been associated with unhealthy eating and inactivity.

According to studies at EPIC-Oxford, vegetarians had lower rates of mortality from pancreatic cancer and lymphatic cancer. Semi-vegetarians had lower rates of death from pancreatic cancer. Pesco-vegetarians had lower death rates from all cancers but higher rates of cardiovascular diseases.

Although dietary supplements of vitamins and antioxidants are helpful, eating a balanced diet is vital for good health and wellbeing. Food provides our bodies with the energy, protein, essential fats, vitamins and minerals to live, grow and function properly, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Eating healthy may help allow longer, active lives because people followed a healthy lifestyle AND avoided unhealthy eating and inactivity.

For the long term, gaining weight to obesity and the potential for numerous nutritional diseases, many tend not to follow health maintenance and rehabilitation over the long term. While much is written about eating healthy foods, there are no real specific formulas (many contradict) what a healthy eating diet implies.

Thus, the popular umbrella over eating healthy does require more science research and evidence of what eating healthy means, along with benefits and consequences.

There are some who have genetic and/or developmental problems with foods that are deemed part of what eating healthy accepts.

Sometimes the rules for eating healthy don’t apply. For example, nuts are considered healthy. Tree nut or seed allergies, for some people, may be extremely harmful allergens. Tree nuts can cause a severe, potentially fatal, allergic reaction (anaphylaxis). Tree nuts include, but are not limited to, walnut, almond, hazelnut, cashew, pistachio, and Brazil nuts. Seeds include sunflower or sesame. Most packages notify if a food product was manufactured in a factory that is exposed to nuts or seeds. Having a soy allergy might knock out even more products.

While meat, poultry and fish are (by small servings) traditionally great sources of complex proteins, many people watch their blood cholesterol levels and triglyceride levels.

Then, of course, there are those that are gluten-free – no wheat products. Diabetics have to watch carbohydrate intake – basically all foods that grow from the earth. As you see, for many, eating healthy faces some very difficult obstacles. No way fits all. Eating healthy diets might also be dangerous to your health!

Eating healthy and setting activities may have something to do with appearance or fashionable vanity – Body Image. People are seeking more than health – attraction, romance, perceived fashionability, social – and eating healthy or obsessively healthy can lead to eating disorders that are also harmful for health. Eating healthy for health and wellness might be individually specific. As a consumer cyclical, more money, more marketing, high motivation is spent on getting the body image you seek. Eating healthy as a lifestyle may be targeted at more than personal health. The aim may be more social. Those that eat healthy may also pursue many activities and seek to make their bodies as attractive as possible.

Bariatric surgery is often advertised on TV. It clips an area of your stomach to inhibit food intake. The use of bariatric surgery is suggested for those people who weigh 100 pounds or more than their average weight and have related health issues. When asked why they were pursuing bariatric surgery, the answers were generally, “tried everything else to improve my body image.” Health was often secondary as they received medicine for that.

Despite side effect possibilities from bariatric surgery, and possible dangers with any surgery, it is a very popular route to improved body image. The number of bariatric surgeries increased to 179,000 in 2013 with 34.2% of surgeries as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, 14% gastric banding, 42.1% gastric sleeve, 1% as duodenal switch, 6% as revisional surgery and 2.7% classified as other (American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery).

As one of my early internships, I sat in with groups who had the surgery and I observed, over a course of of 6 months, that several regained their weight and complained about vomiting when they ate too much. Most in the groups had depressive states due to no visible improvements in body image and social successes.

For all of those people with sensitivities and diseases, eating healthy might be extremely challenging. Among the reasonably healthy population, finding ways of healthy nutrition is easier. It still requires motivation and fortitude. It may require acquired tastes and compromises but easily adaptable via a continuous lifestyle.

Sadly, many people compromise their options and sensitivities. For quite a few people, eating healthy is filled with unique challenges. Then again, for numerous reasons, noy eating healthy may contribute yo developing diabetes 2.

Eating healthy is about eating the right foods, at the right times, with suggested servings. A serving is usually a few ounces. That may mean that a big salad or large steak each day might be more toxic.

Choosing a healthier diet of foods for weight management or some irregular blood score may be helpful. See if your physician can refer you to a qualified nutritionist. For those that eat healthy as a lifestyle, regardless of age, your discriminating dietary obedience MAY pay off with more robust spirit with generally good feeling and body image.

A growing number of people regard the biblical concept of the body as a temple (whether observant or not). Eating healthy is a discipline and habit that you observe through your life span.

Scientifically, eating healthy doesn’t necessarily guaranty that your overall life, wellness, and body image will be excellent. There is a faith and motivation quotient that following a wellness lifestyle will be better than not following one. It is alternative thinking that makes sense to you. As any lifestyle, eating healthy requires motivation, rules, obedience and pleasure.

Eating healthy isn’t a matter of deprivation. If you are celebrating and see attractive food, sample it. Just don’t eat the entire portion. You deserve it. Just don’t exceed serving sizes.

Many might agree or disagree. Eating healthy is an individual choice. For many, healthy food is an acquired taste compared to average eaters. No temple is the same as another. Vive la différence! Choose which healthy mode you want to obey.

Your body may be leased from God but your body health is part of you and your personal responsibility. Seek and find your paths to eating healthy. Any thoughtful healthy actions you contribute may help you live a little bit better.

Some people call it excessively fat. Others call it overweight. Doctors may call it obese. For politicians and statisticians, obesity is a broad problem, though perhaps, too broad. In the past 40 years, weight-loss surgeries have greatly expanded as a medical specialization to help reduce obesity. They are costly interventions and very profitable. It is surprising that research has been published demonstrating that Obesity Surgery improves brain functioning. Some of the researchers were bariatric surgeons. In a culture where obesity and diseases are threatening longevity, is surgery a viable quick-fix solution?

Is being overweight a result of age, genetics, or lifestyle? Studies show some life-threatening diseases are associated with being overweight. According to the Center for Disease Control, a USA government agency, degrees of being overweight and obesity is more pervasive. Obesity is definitely not merely age related. Invasive surgical techniques (bariatric) are being advertised as treatments. Insurances cover procedures for certain obese levels. Obesity has been linked as possible causes for many diseases. On August 26 2014, a new study examining bariatric surgery was published inferring that obesity Surgery improves brain functioning. It may reduce the likelihood of Alzheimer Disease symptoms. Many of the diseases, purportedly tied to weight and obesity, may be sourced from other origins.

Obesity has been associated to diabetes and circulatory diseases. A new endocrinology study shows Changes in Neuropsychological Tests and Brain Metabolism After Bariatric Surgery may reduce brain circulation problems that associate with heart, organ, and brain conditions, including Alzheimer Disease symptoms.

There may be over 78 million people classified as obese or very overweight in the USA, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. That’s near one-third of the country’s population.

The most common way to find out whether you’re overweight or obese is to figure out your body mass index (BMI). BMI is an estimate of body fat, and it’s a good gauge of your risk for diseases that occur with more body fat. Few physicians rely on BMI but use weight on scales to diagnose obesity and the BMI debate seems to question the diagnosis. BMI may not be accurate as a reliable diagnostic tool.

One mode of measurement has been gaining popularity to determine obesity is waist circumference measurements. Men with a waist circumference of more than 40 inches and women with a circumference of more than 35 inches are at a higher risk for developing obesity-related conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

I often comment about how many men use pants with sizes less than 40″ beneath their belly, that might actually be substantially over 40 inches. The maximum waist size of most standard pants sold is up to 42 inches. Beyond that, men must buy “big-size” pants from a specialty source. Women must resort to Plus-size clothing for sizes beyond extra-large parameters. Many squeeze into standard sizes resulting in pain and (possibly) organic problems.

Measuring obesity in women may also require waist and hip sizes but, often, Waist Hip Ratio (WHR) may be a poor obesity marker. Unlike waist circumference, WHR is not necessarily a measure of absolute abdominal fat mass. It is, however, a measure of abdominal fat relative to lower body mass. As such, a relatively lean individual could theoretically have the same WHR as an obese individual.

Two imaging techniques are now considered to be the most accurate methods for measuring tissue, organ, and whole-body fat mass as well as lean muscle mass and bone mass. These help indicate how obesity is affecting your body. While obesity is impacting radiology departments throughout the country, many overweight peopl3e do not fit into these machines.

Yet statisticians set the standards for obesity and how many people are actually very fat. When it comes to overweight, the numbers are staggering high.

Exercise, diet, and lifestyle changes are being weighed to discuss obesity control. A surgical procedure called Bariatric Surgery is becoming more popular for those people who are very obese. It is an invasive surgery geared for people who have tried other ways of losing weight and size to help move out of the clinical obesity ranges. Few studies have examined long-term efficiency of surgical methods and obesity. Yet, the large initial weight loss is associated with reducing risks on related diseases. The researchers of the recent obesity study and brain association are affiliated with a bariatric surgery group. More people are electing bariatric surgery as a means of weight control and image improvement. Does it work?

Weight loss surgery is not even close to the solution for obesity. Whether it is liposuction that vacuums the fat from certain areas, or bariatric surgery that reduces the capacity to eat, neither guarantees permanent weight loss. Many regain any weight lost and several still are threatened with diabetes and circulatory diseases. Obesity, however, is not always linked to high blood levels of cholesterol that may contribute to plaque in arteries and veins that might cause heart and brain diseases. As for incidence of neurocognitive conditions like Alzheimer’s Disease, there’s very little conclusive evidence that directly relate obesity to the incidence of memory disorders. Basically, weight loss surgery is a tool but not a clear solution to solving obesity.

Bariatric surgery can help a 300 pound person become 200 pounds. Prospective patients should not anticipate moving from a size 26 to a size 8 for social and psychological reasons. Those that do, are far from average. They are highly motivated at maintaining long-term lifestyle changes post-surgically. Most do not experience radical differences in appearance. It may be those changes that help improve certain fat-related conditions. Bariatric surgery may help by reducing food storage capacity. Sticking to strict diets will help prevent and reduce problems like vomiting and nausea by exceeding capacity.

Typically, Bariatric Surgery costs are around $20,000 to $30,000. This may not include hospital and anesthesia fees. Many health insurance companies will pay some costs if obesity is directly linked to heart disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and a few others. In a world where loss of memory is a great fear, it is obvious that bariatric surgeons research and conclude that results may dramatically reduce incidence of memory loss. That, too, may be insurable.

Numerous conditions, diseases, and ailments may lead to weight gain and, possibly, obesity. Aging means loss of lean muscle and gain of fat, as a natural progression. Some say longevity may be related to fat among older people. Also, hypothyroidism, Cushing Syndrome, and mood disorders may be medical reasons for obesity. Common arthritis and fibromyalgia may result in obesity due to experiential pain with movement. Any disorder affecting mobility may add pounds.

Statistics also don’t take consideration of varieties of height, bone sizes, and muscular width as possible reasons that define obesity. A man at 77 inches tall may naturally have a 40″ waist and not be obese. Standards for men show 40″ waist as borderline obese.

Barring disease, natural size variations, and statistical errors, lifestyles following conscient9ious diets and active lifestyles may, over years, help people stay trimmer.

Sitting in offices or working on computers for extended lengths may increase weight and hip sizes. The condition is Sitting Disease and it may contribute to larger hip sizes throughout years of seated work. This may contribute to an obese appearance. The cure is more standing, walking, and stretching throughout the day.

A common misconception among those people in normally acceptable weight ranges is that weight gain is quick. It isn’t. It’s a gradual process where aging, genetics, and lifestyles form a complex network. Other than laundry shrinkage, your clothes are getting tighter because muscles are becoming less lean with age. It is referred as Sarcopenia but is relatively normal and effects vary among individuals. According to an article in WebMD:

People who are physically inactive can lose as much as 3% to 5% of their muscle mass per decade after age 30. Even if you are active, you will still experience some muscle loss.

The causes of Sarcopenia process are varied and some research points to calibrations in homeostasis that are normal in the aging body. More research is targeting this area. Yet small studies among seniors demonstrate that lean muscle may be gained with routine daily activity.

Weight gain is a normal aging process and vigilant activity may slow it down. No activity over decades beyond age 30 could lead to obesity and all those partner symptoms that reduce longevity. Ironically, at some ages, weight loss at older ages can contribute to higher mortality rates.

Obesity has existed throughout history. In art, many images from centuries ago depict fatter people. There are few remnants to predict or trace their longevity. Fat is normal. Obesity was common.

Of all the wisdom and variances, moderate diet and moderate activity (walking at brisk pace 30 minutes per day) is likely to stave off obesity among people over 45. Whether it improves brain function or longevity is in need of further examination.

For the majority of the population, more sedentary times and availability/marketing of snack foods help accelerate the fat accumulation associated with Sarcopenia and poor habits. Fighting obesity within a normal population is a painfully slow process. There are no quick-fix solutions. Bariatric surgeries and plastic surgeries are valuable but only tools. Reversing the habits we’ve acquired in the modern and digital ages is as difficult and impossible as smokers and alcoholics succeed in fighting their addictions. Successes are very small.

Barring medical reasons, the growth rates associated with obesity is the end-product of 70 years of snacking and technology that are integral parts of living. Learning to add exercise and food management routines early in life may likely curb obesity levels. Whether one can follow through these skills and habits throughout life’s stresses, adversities, and progressions is a big question mark. We may never look like fashion models. Obesity rates are natural and (theoretically) can be controlled easily. For most, however, starting and following-through may be a Herculean task in a society that stresses snacks and seated activities as a comforting lifestyle.

It takes very little effort each day to battle obesity and possibly suppress any life-threatening conditions that obesity may be linked with. There is no quick fix. Barring genetics, there is no turning back the clock of age. As a long term goal, balancing obesity and health is a habit to target at ages when most don’t think about it.

Gaining weight is as natural as gravity. Gravity is a constant. As we seek to conquer gravity, the perpetual efforts to battle the influences of obesity and weight gain are within the grasp of most people at any age. In this case, memory and remembering are important factors. Weight loss surgeries don’t necessarily help in the long run.